I like Klobuchar, Harris, Castro, Beto and S. Brown (the last 2 haven’t announced yet).

Rick and I are leaving on our annual winter vacation up north. Rick will ski and I will read and give the hot tub lots of action. Pogo… I’ll wave to your friends in Campton on the way up and say a prayer for you while in Lahouts. I’ll post from up there from time to time.

I’m hoping for a dark horse candidate at the last moment to gallop in from out of nowhere, to run a swift decisive race in primaries without harm to any of the other candidates, to energize voters across party lines, and to overwhelm the media by taking all positive light away from the twit.

although all of the announced senators are presidential material, I would rather for now they concentrate on the problems before the country and work harder in their senatorial posts where they can really accomplish a lot more good.

But as far as the future of the United States is concerned, he arguably saved the worst for last. In his closing statement — so late that many probably missed it — he said this: “Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power, and this is why I agreed to appear before you today.”

This is a prospect that has been floated before. In fact, as a political journalist, I can tell you it’s probably the question I get asked the most. And here was a man who knows Trump very well suggesting it’s a concern that is warranted.

It’s 100 percent speculation, yes, but it’s not completely baseless. Remember toward the end of the 2016 election when everyone, including, apparently, Trump, thought he was about to lose? Trump spent weeks alleging voter fraud among voters who hadn’t even cast ballots. He even suggested if he lost, there could be no other explanation.

In light of this, critics pressed him to promise to accept the results of the election. He declined, even using it to provoke further.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I want to make a major announcement today,” he said Oct. 20, 2016, in Ohio. “I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters, and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election . . . “

He paused for effect.

“. . . If I win.”

It bears emphasizing that Trump said he was reserving the right to challenge the results through the legal system, and only if it wasn’t “a clear election result.” But this is the president who has waged an effort to undermine judges who decide things he doesn’t like. And he’s alleged a vast conspiracy among law enforcement to take him down. If the voters vote him out in part based upon that evidence — or if that process itself leads to impeachment and removal from office — is the guy who said this is a “witch hunt” just going to walk away and accept that verdict?

[…]

But the potentially ominous part of this isn’t about the (very low) odds of success; it’s what would happen in the meantime. If Trump won’t leave, and his base feels aggrieved, what if he stirs a popular uprising of some sort? Things could get messy, even as he would probably never hold power.

[…]

Cohen isn’t a constitutional scholar, nor is he a political expert, so he can’t know how unlikely this would be to succeed. It’s also possible he was saying this for effect after a long day of testimony. But lots of people were eager to believe the things he was saying Wednesday for the very reason that he knows Trump better than all but a handful of people. His view of Trump’s character on this point would seem difficult to totally discount.

It’s easy to dismiss Trump’s attacks on elections and the investigations of his presidency as Trump merely being provocative and trying to play a political game. Cohen seems to think there is more at work here.

Mr Bink, I don’t know why Ms Pelosi would want to be demoted. A skillful Speaker can be more powerful than a president, and she has the necessary skill. In my admittedly arrogant opinion she is the best Speaker of the House since John McCormack. Round it up to the best speaker in 50 years.

The Republicans at CPAC are unbelievable they all think that SFB style is the way to go– Some loon just called AOC a watermelon — green on the outside – RED RED RED on the inside omg they are all going down is the same boat

No Bernie no way. Last I heard he wasn’t even a Democrat much less a good candidate. As much as anyone he is responsible for Trump. In the end it may be best for all other viable candidates to ignore him.

speaking of Bernie and Russia, has there been any more info reported than what was in those mueller indictment filings about Russian efforts to tip scale for him in 2016? are they helping again (maybe some of the $$ that poured in on announcement day)?

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was the beneficiary of at least one of the Russian-bought political ads on Facebook that federal government officials suspect were intended to influence the 2016 election.

Other advertisements paid for by shadowy Russian buyers criticized Hillary Clinton and promoted Donald Trump. Some backed Bernie Sanders and his platform even after his presidential campaign had ended, according to a person with knowledge of the ads.

An anti-Muslim poster associating US Rep. Ilhan Omar with the September 11 attacks appeared Friday at a Republican-sponsored public gathering at the West Virginia statehouse, creating a firestorm of controversy that apparently led one official to resign.

The poster, featuring pictures of Omar and the terror attacks in a fashion of an Internet meme, was displayed behind a table during WVGOP Day at the Capitol, an event in which the West Virginia Republican Party had invited the public to the Capitol’s upper rotunda.

The state GOP denounced the sign, saying that an exhibitor had put it up without its knowledge and that it demanded its removal.

Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who became one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress last year, branded it as “the GOP’s anti-Muslim display.”

“No wonder why I am on the ‘Hitlist’ of a domestic terrorist and ‘Assassinate Ilhan Omar’ is written on my local gas stations,” the Somali-American posted to Twitter on Friday. “Look no further, the GOP’s anti-Muslim display likening me to a terrorist rocks in state capitols and no one is condemning them!”

Bernie is not a member of the Democratic Party. He might join, but there is no guarantee.

Interesting (maybe) day at CPAC, hate mongers heaven, is that SFB went off on a couple of hours rant. Hitler did the same. Not really comparing a dictator wannabe with a real dictator, but just saying.

“Red” refers to Communism, patd, and contemporary Russia is a capitalist-kleptocracy, not a communist state. The same could be said about the United States.

Not surprising Republicans would use the racially-loaded “watermelon” imagery to serve as a double-entendre. They think they’re so clever. We get it- you’re racists.

Don’t underestimate the danger posed by potential Trump authoritarianism. If he doesn’t achieve his goal of becoming king, he’ll serve as the blueprint for the one that does, just like Caesar provided a model for Augustus.

Patd, yes, that was on REPUBLICAN DAY at the state capital. I think SFB had the largest margin of victory in WV than in any other stare, and people here hate Muslims and Hispanics- except those Hispanics who work in Mexican restaurants and st King’s New York Pizza. I mean they really hate them. This was not surprising.

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